Y’all. Three children died today.
🖤
What happened during the Nashville shooting on March 27, 2023?
Someone armed with at least two assault-style rifles and a handgun went into a Nashville elementary school and killed three children and three adults before she was killed by the police.
As I write this article at 2:40 pm on March 27, no motive has been reported yet. But… Does it matter?
My body feels heavy and my throat feels tight as I type these words: Three. Children. Died.
Here’s what I’ll cover in this article:
My response to those who are against gun safety legislation
Facts about gun violence in the USA
What nonprofits can do to respond to gun violence
If you’re ready to act now, please scroll to the last section of this article.
If you’re against gun safety legislation (or “gun control”), please read this:
I’m a Christian who grew up in a conservative area of Texas. I would estimate that about half of my friends and family members own guns, and I completely understand why people own guns as tools and as defense/safety weapons. But y’all, we absolutely need to have limits on how guns can be obtained, stored, and used.
Before we continue with this conversation, we need to agree on one thing: We strongly value human life. Maybe above anything else.
Can we agree on that? If so, please keep reading.
On August 4, 2019, after back-to-back mass shootings occurred in our country, I wrote on social media:
…gun violence should not be considered a partisan issue.
I encourage you to research the connection between between restrictions on gun ownership/usage and deaths caused by gun violence. Here are a few [key facts]:
— 64% of homicides in the US are gun-related.
— Firearm homicide rates are 58% higher in states without background check laws.
— States that restrict assault weapons have the lowest per capita homicide rates.
As you can imagine, my post was met with pushback. In particular, one of my friends who was a strong advocate for gun ownership rights opposed my view that more stringent gun safety laws are needed. Here’s a summary of how our conversation unfolded:
My Friend: It’s easy for you to cherry pick statistics. Dr. John Lott* and Dr. Gary Kleck** have published reliable research showing that increases in gun ownership lead to less crime.
But you shouldn’t research statistics about gun violence anyway. Instead, you should focus on researching the connection between gun control laws and all types of violence. If gun control laws reduce the amount of gun violence, but the amount of stabbings increases, the laws have failed. Gun ownership advocates like me want to solve the gun violence issue, but not with gun control laws. There is a more effective solution.
*NOTE: John Lott argues there is evidence that more gun ownership leads to less crime. However, there are many inconsistencies and incorrect assertions associated with Lott’s claims.
**NOTE: Gary Kleck’s work is also full of inconsistencies and errors.
Me: What is the solution you advocate for?
My Friend: We need to allow people to defend themselves. Also, we need to provide more mental health services.
Me: Yes, we absolutely need better mental health support.
But there are other big systemic issues at play as well — For one, a HUGE part of the reason our country came into existence the way it did is because of colonization and slavery, and racism still runs deep.
(If you don’t think racism is still a problem, it super is. When I was in the process of adopting a child with my ex-husband, his mother told us that if we adopted a non-white child, she would not consider our child to be a family member. HIS OWN MOTHER told him that she would not accept any non-white children he had.)
Hate crimes have remained steady through our nation’s history, not only due to racism, but also surrounding sexuality and religion.
Also, domestic violence is a huge systemic issue related to gun violence that won’t change overnight.
All of these systemic issues certainly need to be addressed if we want to lower homicide rates. However, it’s going to take a long long time to reform our healthcare system in such a polarized two-party republic. It’s not easy to address racial, sexuality, and religious biases on a massive scale — Or even on personal level. And it's really difficult to end domestic violence when we have always lived in that cycle.
Obviously stabbings and other types of crimes are an issue, but it's really hard to look at the connection between guns and homicides and say that we need more accountability and due diligence with firearms.
When firearms are present, women are more likely to die.
When firearms are in the home, homicide and suicide is more likely to occur.
It's unfair to answer an urgent problem by saying we need to fix systemic issues, because these are issues that have not been solved over the course of thousands of years.
My Friend: Why don’t homicide rates fall in states which have stronger gun ownership and carrying restrictions?
Me: Because we also need federal laws. Studies (1, 2, 3) have found that a large percentage of guns used in violent crimes in areas with strict gun laws come from other states.
At this point, my friend chose to disengage from our discussion, but I hope that with the mutual agreement that we strongly value human life, you will choose to engage further.
Facts About Gun Violence in the USA
In the story above, I’ve included lots of hyperlinks to studies, news stories, and other research about gun violence in the USA. But if you want even more information, please check out the following facts from reputable sources:
Gun-related deaths: On average, 53 people are killed each day by guns in the USA. 82% of firearm-related deaths in high-income countries occur in the USA.
Gun murders and suicides: Gun murders have climbed sharply in recent years. There’s been a 49% increase over the past five years and a 75% increase over the past ten years. Gun suicides have also risen recently, by 10% over the past five years and by 25% over the past ten years.
Guns and children: Gun injuries are the leading cause of death of children in the USA. Although many parents believe their children have never handled their gun(s), over one in three children say they have. And more than 80% of guns used by youth in suicide attempts are kept in the home of the youth victims, relatives, and/or friends.
Attitudes about gun laws: Over half of Americans want stricter gun laws. Only 14% believe gun laws should be less strict.
What Nonprofit Professionals Can Do in Response to Gun Violence
There are two key things I urge you to do:
Advocate for stronger gun safety laws at both the federal and state levels. You can engage in advocacy without endangering your 501(c)(3) status! Your 501(c)(3) status is only impacted when you spend a significant amount of funding on lobbying efforts. But there are lots of advocacy activities you can engage in without lobbying. For example, you can:
Share facts and research with your constituents and legislators. (For example, you can share the information in this article!)
Ask your constituents to share facts and research.
Ask your constituents to sign petitions.
Ask your constituents to call and/or email their legislators. (Make this as easy as possible by telling them what number to call, which email address to use, and what to say. This doesn’t qualify as lobbying as long as you aren’t showing support or opposition to a specific piece of legislation.)
Join a local coalition.
Ask your legislators to meet with you so you can explain how gun violence impacts your constituents.
Sign onto letters urging legislators to take action. (This doesn’t qualify as lobbying as long as you aren’t showing support or opposition to a specific piece of legislation.)
Remember that you are powerful as an individual person in your personal life, not just as a nonprofit staff member. Even if you can’t urge people or legislators to support or oppose specific legislation while wearing your nonprofit cap, you can do so as a private citizen.
Friend, we work to change the world every day. In honor of the three children who died today and the tens of thousands of Americans who die every year, let’s push forward.